Halifax to New Orleans

[CorneliusAlphonse]

Anyone have any particular must-sees along this route? Brewing related equipment or supplies that I might consider buying while in the States (Driving a van, so there will be quite a bit of room if i wanted to get something big)? Particular beers to watch out for? Anywhere in particular in new orleans to get some real good creole food?

It's a long route, and half the places will be driven through at night, so we may not be able to check out everything. I'm a bit late to be asking for suggestions, but i kept forgetting to ask

[GAM]

Just back from the Carolinas. Injoy your trip.

My wife tells me for a lot of food ask a man for a place, for quality ask a chick.

She is not that wrong.

Let us know how it goes.

Sandy

[chalmers]

Because there's a metric shit-ton of places to visit along that route, how about you tell us roughly the route you're taking and/or where do you expect to be stopping already?
How "beer-friendly" is your company? Will they be OK with a 30-min detour for a hard-to-find beer?

Good beer store to get you started:
Julio's Liquors in Westborough, Mass was a great shop that BBB put us onto. 140 Turnpike Rd, Rt. 9 East. 2 miles off the I-495. http://www.juliosliquors.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[dexter]

there used to be a place called mothers that made some incredible local food. It was near the pelham hotel.

[CorneliusAlphonse]

thanks for what tips have been given! I'll try to stop by chalmers' spot on the way home. sorry for the lack of route information, but our plan was to fly by the seat of our pants (and the seat of our GPS). we've stayed in great smokey, a state forest in west Virginia, saw a brewery in Tennessee and had some great BBQ in Atlanta. we hit new Orleans tomorrow, and I'll provide some details when I get back next week. thanks again

[benwedge]

I've never driven the route, but in case you haven't heard you need to check out the cafe du monde. It's not mind blowing, but it's a New Orleans institution and the beignets are a great treat.

[CorneliusAlphonse]

I've never driven the route, but in case you haven't heard you need to check out the cafe du monde. It's not mind blowing, but it's a New Orleans institution and the beignets are a great treat.

the hundred person lineup dissuaded me from trying it, unfortunately.

I stopped by three breweries during the trip:

Depot Street Brewing near Johnson City, Tennessee: Great little brewery, we just happened to stop by during one of the odd hours they are open (3-6 pm on wednesdays, and a couple hours each on saturdays and sundays). little outdoors place to sit and enjoy a pint, with what i believe was a bocce court. Beer was decent. They had a seasonal wit that was great (heavy on the citrus taste), but it wasn't available in bottles. Managed to hang onto a bottle of their rye stout through the next week of road trip drinking, i will bring it to a tasting at some point.

Sam Adams (Boston) - Stopped by here on the way back to Canada. Right in the city of boston. They give a free tour, you get a free miniature tasting glass and a couple fills of beer. Typical brewery tour otherwise. They use a four vessel system, which i found interesting. After finishing the tour, my small group got invited to do a quick market survey thing, and got another free glass (their unique design one). It is mostly their test brewery now, they brew their big production beers elsewhere. They have a barrel setup going though. Bought a variety pack they only sell there: barrel aged beers, mostly. I'm going to cellar them for a while but they will see the light of day eventually:

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Finally, on our way through fredericton, we stopped by Picaroon's, where a friend brews... Their HLT and BK are apparently direct fired (no steam jacket) and bricked up on the outside, which i thought looked fantastic:

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[benwedge]

the hundred person lineup dissuaded me from trying it, unfortunately.

That's insane! Looks like you had fun at the other stops though.

[GAM]

I hope the trip was great and leaving you wanting more.

Sandy

[CorneliusAlphonse]

I hope the trip was great and leaving you wanting more.

Sandy

it was! thanks for the tip about quality - a friend of a friend lives in Atlanta, she recommended a BBQ joint, and it delivered with both quality and quantity. (it was called Hottie Hawgs BBQ, and it is highly recommended if anyone goes to Atlanta. Great beer selection too. Another Atlanta recommendation is Sublime Donuts, best donut ive ever had.)

[derek]

I hope the trip was great and leaving you wanting more.

Sandy

it was! thanks for the tip about quality - a friend of a friend lives in Atlanta, she recommended a BBQ joint, and it delivered with both quality and quantity. (it was called Hottie Hawgs BBQ, and it is highly recommended if anyone goes to Atlanta. Great beer selection too. Another Atlanta recommendation is Sublime Donuts, best donut ive ever had.)

I dunno about donuts and beer, though...